Early leader in the clubhouse: Memphis, by a mile. It’s only two months in, but Mayo is the leading scorer among rookies with a 20.1-point average in 37.9 minutes while he has become, along with Rudy Gay, the focus of the Grizzlies offense. Along with Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Mayo is the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year.

Love said he and Mayo go way back, from seventh grade to last season, when he was at UCLA and Mayo at Southern California.

“It’s like a friendly rivalry,” Love said. “It always has been. It will continue to be that way, too. We’ve always fought throughout junior high, high school, AAU ball. We’ve always played each other, and our matchups were always good games. I would say it’s pretty friendly. We’re not the best friends in the world, but we’re friendly.”

Mayo said he’s looking forward to seeing Love during tonight’s warm-ups, and he sees a bright future for his longtime rival, slow start and all.

“Different players adjust differently,” Mayo said. “Kevin has been a great player at every level. He’s proven that he can play. Maybe it takes some players more time than others, but I believe he’ll develop into a fine player in the NBA.”